UNWANTED spiders, lack of beer and broken mobile phones are just three of the stupid 999 calls placed with Surrey Police’s contact centre during the last year.

From July 2006 to July 2007, the Surrey force received 179,342 emergency calls but 11% — more than 19,000 — did not require a police response.

Surrey Police wants to emphasise calls to 999 should be made only when someone is in danger or a crime is in progress.

“The 999 system is there for people who are in genuine emergency situations and need assistance,” explained Superintendent Sue Lampard.

“By misusing it, you are tying up emergency lines and preventing other people from getting through.

“Ultimately this could end up costing someone their life. We are asking the public to act responsibly and only call 999 for the right reasons.”

Other unnecessary calls included a woman who wanted her water supply turned back on and a couple arguing over who was the rightful owner of a DVD. One caller dialled 999 so they could order a taxi while a young boy admitted placing an emergency call “for a laugh”.

Complaints about noisy neighbours, lost dogs and other noise nuisance accounted for 6,000 of the inappropriate calls, while another 13,696 were abandoned.

Many of these are likely to have been caused by people accidentally dialling 999 from their mobile phone or from young children playing with the telephone.

In an attempt to cut down on needless 999 calls, Surrey Police has redesigned the contact page on its website.

The site now includes useful advice on common, but not urgent, queries such as noisy neighbours, lost pets and problems with unscrupulous internet traders.

“Every call we receive has to be answered by our call handlers and prank, abandoned, or inappropriate calls put an unnecessary strain on resources,” added Supt Lampard.